Posts by fish

19

The Christmas Star

by praiseband in

jw literature tries to persuade us that the star was actually sent by satan to guide the evil magi to the site of jesus and his family.

yet, the bible tells us in genesis that god was the creator of all the stars in the heavens.

nowhere that i am familiar with does the bible state that satan made any of the stars or any other celestial object.

(Matthew 2:1-15) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

First, notice this is not talking about Jesus' birth. He's called a young child and is now living in a house not in the manger he was born in. He could have been as much as two years old at this time.

Second, these Magi, or astrologers, were not worshipers of the true God. Nor does the account say how many there were. So they were not '3 wise men' but rather two or more Magi...men who practiced divination, something that God condemns.

As far as the star goes, do you not think Satan possesses the power to make a bright light appear in the sky that would move ahead of them to lead them? It wasnt a literal star that Jehovah had created. What else would they call a bright light in the sky? So these Magi, if they were sent by God, and it was God's star that guided them, why did they first have to consult with Herod? And what was the result of their going to Herod?

Verse 16 - "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."

Herod murdered about 20,000 young boys as a result of the information he obtained from the wise men whos star led them to Herod!! Do you think that God cooperated in the death of those children?

Who used the wise men? God or Satan?

The answer is too obvious to even ask.

32

Whatever Happened To THIS Belief?

by Sunspot in

as jws, we used to be told that "when they are crying peace and security, the end will come".

nothing indicates that this will be happening any time in the near future, but the "new" tract would seem to make people think the "end" will be soon.. has the wts changed this "peace and security" teaching over the past few years?

if they have changed their thinking, how have they worked their way around that one?.

fish

***

w042/1pp.20-21"TheSceneofThisWorldIsChanging"***

How

theFinalActWillPlayOut

11

Aware that his end is approaching, Satan since 1914 has been stepping up his efforts to mislead "the entire inhabited earth." Always the master deceiver, Satan works behind the scenes, putting on the stage the world’s leaders and trendsetters as role players. (2 Timothy 3:13; 1 John 5:19) One of his goals is to deceive mankind into thinking that his way of governing can bring them true peace. By and large, his propaganda has succeeded, for people remain optimistic in spite of mounting evidence that conditions are going from bad to worse. The apostle Paul foretold that just before this system of things is destroyed, there will be a notable expression of satanic propaganda. He wrote: "Whenever it is that they are saying: ‘Peace and security!’ then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman."—1 Thessalonians 5:3; Revelation 16:13.

12

In recent years, politicians have often used the phrase "peace and security" to describe various human schemes. They even dubbed 1986 the International Year of Peace, although that year did not live up to its name. Do such efforts by world leaders constitute the complete fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 5:3, or was Paul referring to a specific event of such dramatic proportions as to claim world attention?

13

Since Bible prophecies are often fully understood only after they are fulfilled or are in the process of fulfillment, we will have to wait and see. It is of interest, though, that Paul compared the sudden destruction following the cry of "Peace and security!" to the birth pang of a pregnant woman. Over a period of about nine months, an expectant mother becomes increasingly aware of the baby that is growing within her. She may be able to hear her baby’s heartbeat or feel its movements in the womb. It may even kick her. The signs often become more and more pronounced until, one day, she feels a sharp pain, a pang, indicating that the hoped-for event—the baby’s birth—has arrived. Hence, however the prophesied cry of "Peace and security!" may be fulfilled, it will lead to a sudden, painful, but ultimately blessed event—the destruction of wickedness and the beginning of a new world system.

14

The coming destruction will be fear-inspiring for faithful Christians watching from the sidelines. First, the kings of the earth (the political part of Satan’s organization) will turn on the supporters of Babylon the Great (the religious part) and will destroy them. (Revelation 17:1, 15-18) Thus, in a stunning plot twist, Satan’s kingdom will become divided against itself, with one part attacking the other, and Satan will be powerless to prevent it. (Matthew 12:25, 26) Jehovah will put it into the hearts of the kings of the earth "to carry out his thought," namely, to rid the earth of his religious adversaries. After false religion is destroyed, Jesus Christ will lead his heavenly armies in a complete rout of what is left of Satan’s organization—the commercial and political elements. Finally, Satan himself will be put out of action. With that, the curtain will fall, and the long-running drama will come to an end.—Revelation 16:14-16; 19:11-21; 20:1-3.

24

Angry Witnesses

by Moomin in

jw
friends

everytime i look at videos talking/warning about jehovah's witness on youtube, i am always so shocked at the venemous replies from the dubs.

they say things like "i can't wait to see your face when you realise we're right when armageddon comes" and "i can't wait for the day of jehovah when you apostate scumbags get obliterated".

it's shocking.

fish

Who is to say those individuals are genuine baptized JWs? Would it be possible for an apostate to pose as a witness and post a vicious hatefule reply only to make the JWs appear that way?

121

Anyone Know About The PA Convention?

by Sunspot in

jw
friends

is anyone familiar with this upcoming event?

or know anyone who attends?.

i had "met" a few gals when i first left the wts (seven years ago) who talked about this convention....one was from western ny....but i have since lost touch with them and lost their email addies years ago.

fish

Seems very bizarre that the great majority of people who are X-JWs no longer believe the bible is God's inspired word and many dont even believe in God any longer. And these people are going to be discussing and studying the bible during this convention?? LOL!!! I almost want to attend just for the laughs.

40

What's the deal with beards????

by bittersweet in

jw
friends

ok, so my brother in law, a former elder, decided to grow a beard a while ago.

he initially grew it because he had a small rash he was trying to cover up, but that has since gone, and he has kept the beard.

he kept the beard because it made such a fuss that he decided if he shaved it off it would be like giving in to the brothers.

fish

It's really quite simple. It's called public perception. When's the last time you saw a guy running for president with a beard or a goatee? Why not? Because of the public's perception in general of beards and goatees. They know they'll attract more votes simply because many people will vote without any knowledge really of what they've said during their campaign but simply based on their looks. If they have a beard or goatee they will likely lose a LOT of those type voters and it could cost them the election.

36

If the UN dissolves...will the WTS recover?

by AuldSoul in

there is a public groundswell of support within the united states of america, inc. for the us to withdraw from the un.

while this departing of one-half of the seventh king (and the "king of the south") could be prophetically spun into a harmless twist and twang on an old saw, the general consensus seems to be that the un would have great difficulty maintaining orderliness within its ranks.

also, there is a strong argument to be made that without us financial backing the un would fold due to a shortage of funding.. although it isn't particularly likely, it is certainly a possibility.

fish

From your above statements, I assume that you are still a loyal JW. Am I correct? If so; please tell me something. Why would a loyal JW who obediently follows the directions of the Faithful Slave; blatantly disobey them by communitcating with "apostates" on a site such as this?

Before I answer your question in response to my question, may I ask you another question?

As an exJW, do you still believe in God, and if yes do you believe the bible is his inspired word?

46

POLL : Your reaction IF all religion was suddenly banned worldwide

by fish in

im interested in hearing what your personal reaction would be if (i say if because probably 99.9% here believe this will never happen) all the religions of the world were to be suddenly banned/shut down/decommissioned/liquidated/dismembered/etc.. by the political powers of the world.

what would your first post here say?

would it change your view of jehovah...of the "org"?

fish

The reality of this happening is preposterous.

It would mean a dictitoral world goverment with the authority to somehow extract religion, however deeply embedded, from every culture.

This would immediately result in a equal religious backlash, covert underground revivals, and rebellion of even non-religious sympathizers.

My opinion is that complete religious tolerance is the only thing that can atrophy religion out of existance. Ironic, isn't it.

I understand you dont believe such a thing will ever happen. The question is: What your personal reaction would be IF (I say if because probably 99.9% here believe this will never happen) all the religions of the world were to be suddenly banned/shut down/decommissioned/liquidated/dismembered/etc.. by the political powers of the world. What would you do? What would your first post here say? Would it change your view of Jehovah...of the "org"? How would you then treat JWs or what would you say to them?

46

POLL : Your reaction IF all religion was suddenly banned worldwide

by fish in

im interested in hearing what your personal reaction would be if (i say if because probably 99.9% here believe this will never happen) all the religions of the world were to be suddenly banned/shut down/decommissioned/liquidated/dismembered/etc.. by the political powers of the world.

what would your first post here say?

would it change your view of jehovah...of the "org"?

fish

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

Sounds like a good recipe for peace doesnt it?

46

POLL : Your reaction IF all religion was suddenly banned worldwide

by fish in

im interested in hearing what your personal reaction would be if (i say if because probably 99.9% here believe this will never happen) all the religions of the world were to be suddenly banned/shut down/decommissioned/liquidated/dismembered/etc.. by the political powers of the world.

what would your first post here say?

would it change your view of jehovah...of the "org"?

fish

Define banning- how do you ban somebody prcaticing it in their own home? Isnt Atheism a religion in its own right I think goverment is smart enough to realize they could never take anyone's faith away from them. But they can take away their right to express it to others or to practise it in an organized way. So what if the political powers said, "No more religion. You may pray to your god in the privacy of your home but you cannot express your faith to anyone else. You cannot meet with others of your same faith. You cannot promote your faith in any way." I think that would cover "banned/shut down/decommissioned/liquidated/dismembered/etc..". Organized religion would no longer exist.

46

POLL : Your reaction IF all religion was suddenly banned worldwide

by fish in

im interested in hearing what your personal reaction would be if (i say if because probably 99.9% here believe this will never happen) all the religions of the world were to be suddenly banned/shut down/decommissioned/liquidated/dismembered/etc.. by the political powers of the world.

what would your first post here say?

would it change your view of jehovah...of the "org"?

fish

Im interested in hearing what your personal reaction would be IF (I say if because probably 99.9% here believe this will never happen) all the religions of the world were to be suddenly banned/shut down/decommissioned/liquidated/dismembered/etc.. by the political powers of the world. What would you do? What would your first post here say? Would it change your view of Jehovah...of the "org"? How would you then treat JWs or what would you say to them?